Toy and ornament



Oct. 14, 1924. 1,511,588

W. F. BLEECKE R TOY AND ORNAMENT Filed Oct. 23 1922 INVENTOR. ,W. F. BLEECKE. I?

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

UNITED STATES WARREN LE. BLEECKER, OF BOULDER, COLORADO.

TOY AND ORNAMENT.

Application filed October 23, 1922. Serial No. 596,295.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN F. BLEEOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boulder, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys and Ornaments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new article of manufacture designed principally for use as an ornament or toy.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide an article made in simulation of trees and other well known objects which are portrayed in more or less fanciful form on a miniature scale, and a further object is to provide a simple, practical and eflicient method by which the articles are produced.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown the article of manufacture in the form of a miniature tree, and the progressive steps included in the process of its production,

Figure 1 representing the body portion of the article as it comes from the mold in which it is formed;

Figure 2, a section taken on the line 2 2, Figure 1;

Figure 3, the molded tree after its branches have been bent to their natural po sition;

Figure 4, a top view of the tree shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5, an elevation of the article in its completed condition;

Figure 6, an enlarged View of one of the branches of the miniature tree; and

Figure 7, a further magnified section taken on the line 77, Figure 6.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The body portion of the article may be cast of a metal or alloy of metals, in a mold of the desired pattern, or it may be molded, cut or otherwise formed of any plastic or solid material which is suited for the purpose.

After the body portion has been formed by any one of the above mentioned methods, it is painted with a suitable pigment of the desired tint or color and before the coat of paint has dried, it is sprinkled with fine granules of glass, metal, mineral or other suitable scintillant material, in one or more colors, which after the paint has dried, are

held in place thereby and lend to the article a highly artistic, pleasing and attractive ap pearance.

While I do not desire to be limited to the use of any particular material, I prefer to make the particles of colored glass in crystal or spherical form, such as those produced by the process described in my Letters Patent No. 1,175,224 of March 14, 1916.

Referring more specifically to the drawings which illustrate the steps in the production of a miniature tree by the above de scribed process, Figure 1 illustrates the body 5 of the article in the form in which it is cast in a mold of suitable construction.

An alloy of lead and antimony or lead and tin is well adapted for the purpose of molding small articles of the kind shown in the drawing, and in the present example, the branches 6 of the tree which in nature face the sky, are formed in planes with the longitudinal axis of the trunk to simplify the construction of the mold and facilitate the removal of the cast.

The branches of the molded article are subsequently bent to their natural position, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, which when the alloy is soft and pliable, is readily accomplislhed by means of pincers or other similar too s.

The article formed as shown in Figure 3 is now painted with a pigment of suitable color and composition, and before the coat of paint which in Figure 7 of the drawing, has been designated by the numeral 8, has dried, the granules 9 of colored glass or other scintillant material are scattered over the surface thereof, preferably in an irregular and more or less arbitrary disposition.

When the surface of the material of which the object is composed, is smooth, it is advisable to roughen it before the application of the paint, by dipping it in a corrosive chemical bath or by any other suitable and convenient method.

The small granules which are strewn over the surface of the branches, leaves and trunk of the miniature tree or other object, may be of different sizes as indicated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, and they may be all of the same color or mixed in diflerent shades or colors to give a variegated appearance to the article to which they are applied.

It will be understood that in practically the same manner, many different novelties may be produced, to resemble, for example,

birds, beetles, butterflies, fishes or other animals, or flowers, leaves, plants and other natural objects.

Having thus described my invention, What 5 I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of producing a miniature tree consisting in molding a tree of metal with its branches in a plane with the longi- 10 tudinal axis of its trunk, turning the branches to their natural position, coating the branches with a pigment, and strewing granules of scintillant material over the coating,

2, The process of producing a miniature tree consisting in molding a tree of metal with its branches in a plane with the longitudinal axis of its trunk and then turning the branches to their natural position.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

WARREN F. BLEEC'KER. 

